4th UJF Interim Zooarch Report

Summary

This report provides an update on the ongoing analysis of the Viking Age to Late Norse archaeofauna recovered during the 2003 – 2006 excavations at the site of Undir Junkarinsfløtti (UJF), Sandoy, Faroe Islands. Nearly 60,000 bone and shell fragments have been analyzed to date, some three quarters of which have been identified to species level. Throughout all occupation phases, the UJF archaeofaunal assemblage is dominated by bird, shellfish and fish remains, with domestic mammals making up no more than 5% of the total. In addition to domestic farm animals (cattle, pigs, sheep and goats), the Undir Junkarinsfløtti assemblage reflects an extensive and sustained exploitation of wild resources, particularly seabird populations (primarily puffins and guillemot). Fishing appears to have focused primarily on cod, with some evidence for on-site production of flat-dried fish.